Structural connection between in-line pipes and tubes

ABSTRACT

A single piece structural connector is provided that includes a single machined aluminum piece having first and second circular ends including a plurality of bolt holes and a center hole. The connector also includes an alignment dowel positioned on the center hole. The alignment dowel is configured to tightly fit into a center hole of a pipe plate.

PRIORITY

This application is a Divisional Application of U.S. application Ser.No. 16/295,820, filed on Mar. 7, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,125,373,issued on Sep. 21, 2021, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 toU.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/639,705, which was filed in theU.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Mar. 7, 2018, the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to structural connectors, andmore particularly, to structurally connecting pipes and tubes withintheir diametric or length and width dimensions while concurrentlyproviding a passageway for items through the interior of said pipes andtubes.

2. Description of the Related Art

Known in-line structural connections that enable a passageway or passthrough for items through pipes and tubes use flange plates that arelarger in diameter or length and width than the pipes or tubes.

Other connections known in the art that have dimensions within the outerdimensions of the pipe or tube are cast without pass through holes orhave numerous large welds, both of which are very expensive and addunnecessary cost. In addition, such connections are overly lengthy insize, which is not aesthetically pleasing and also requires theseconnections to have longer cover plates.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a secure and moreaesthetically pleasing structural connection that reduces cost yetprovides a pass through for items in the interior of the connection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below.

Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide astructural connection that reduces the number of welds or eveneliminates altogether, while providing a passageway for items such ascables and pipes through the connection.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a structuralconnection that eliminates the need for nuts by threading directly intoa pipe end plate.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a structuralconnection that is fabricated by a single-piece construction, whileproviding a passageway for items through the connection.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a single piecestructural connector includes a single machined aluminum piece havingfirst and second circular ends, each of the first and second circularends including a plurality of bolt holes and a center hole, and analignment dowel positioned on the center hole, the alignment dowel beingconfigured to tightly fit into a center hole of a pipe plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a structural connector according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 illustrates top and side views of a pipe plate of the structuralconnector, according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates top and side views of a bolt plate of the structuralconnector, according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a connection cover for the structural connector,according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates the structural connector positioned between in-linepipes, according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates top, side and diagonal views of a machined extrudedaluminum piece for the structural connector, according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 illustrates the structural connector positioned between in-linepipes, according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates the structural connector positioned between in-linepipes, according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 illustrates the structural connector positioned between in-linepipes, according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described herein below withreference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of thepresent invention are not limited to the specific embodiments and shouldbe construed as including all modifications, changes, equivalent devicesand methods, and/or alternative embodiments of the present invention.Descriptions of well-known functions and/or configurations will beomitted for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to their dictionary meanings, but are merely used to enable aclear and consistent understanding of the present invention.Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that thefollowing description of embodiments of the present invention isprovided for illustrative purposes only and not for the purpose oflimiting the present invention as defined by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

Singular terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. For example, reference to “acomponent surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

The embodiments are described herein by way of illustration only andshould not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the presentinvention. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principlesof the present invention may be implemented in any suitably arrangedstructural connection.

As used herein, the term “substantially” indicates that the recitedcharacteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, butthat variations such as tolerances, measurement errors, measurementaccuracy limitations and other factors known to those of ordinary skillin the art, may occur in amounts that do not preclude the effect thecharacteristic was intended to provide.

The expressions “have,” “may have,” “include,” and “may include” as usedherein indicate the presence of corresponding features, such asnumerical values, functions, operations, or parts, and do not precludethe presence of additional features. The expressions “A or B,” “at leastone of A or/and B,” or “one or more of A or/and B” as used hereininclude all possible combinations of items enumerated with them. Forexample, “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” or “at least one of A orB” indicate (1) including at least one A, (2) including at least one B,or (3) including both at least one A and at least one B.

Terms such as “first” and “second” as used herein may modify variouselements regardless of an order and/or importance of the correspondingelements, and do not limit the corresponding elements. These terms maybe used for the purpose of distinguishing one element from anotherelement. For example, a first user device and a second user device mayindicate different user devices regardless of the order or importance. Afirst element may be referred to as a second element without departingfrom the scope the present invention, and similarly, a second elementmay be referred to as a first element.

When a first element is “operatively or communicatively coupled with/to”or “connected to” another element, such as a second element, the firstelement may be directly coupled with/to the second element, and theremay be an intervening element, such as a third element, between thefirst and second elements. To the contrary, when the first element is“directly coupled with/to” or “directly connected to” the secondelement, there is no intervening third element between the first andsecond elements.

All of the terms used herein including technical or scientific termshave the same meanings as those generally understood by an ordinaryskilled person in the related art unless they are defined otherwise. Theterms defined in a generally used dictionary should be interpreted ashaving the same or similar meanings as the contextual meanings of therelevant technology and should not be interpreted as having ideal orexaggerated meanings unless they are clearly defined herein. Accordingto circumstances, even the terms defined in this disclosure should notbe interpreted as excluding the embodiments of the present invention.

As stated above, the present invention aims to structurally connectpipes and tubes within their dimensions while concurrently providing aninterior pass through for items such as cables and conduit pipes.

To cure the above-noted problems in the prior art, the structuralconnector of the present invention can be used with a machined platewith tapped holes at the ends of the pipe or tube. The tapped holes areconfigured to accept structural bolts that enable the two pipe or tubemembers to be structurally connected. The structural connectiondisclosed in the present application can be a welded steel or aluminumplate assembly, or can be machined from extruded aluminum in asingle-piece construction.

In addition, the structural connector of the present invention usesapproximately half the number of welded gusset plates and flange platesrequired in the prior art, and eliminates the use of nuts by threadingdirectly into the pipe end plate(s). Prior art cast connections do nothave a hole for pass through, and prior art welded connections usenumerous large welds and twice the number of plates and washers than inthe present invention, while also requiring the use of nuts.

In contrast, the structural connector of the present invention uses lessmaterial and requires less fabrication time than with prior artstructural connectors, and can be made of machined extruded aluminumthat eliminates welding and welding inspection, thereby improvingquality control. The machined aluminum can be fabricated with an anglechange to accommodate a change of direction in the pipes or tofacilitate a mis-alignment discovered in the field.

The structural connector of the present invention eliminates the use ofcast metal, which requires creation of expensive molds that aretime-consuming for custom configurations. The structural connector ofthe present invention uses half the number of gusset plates and boltplates as the “Diablo Connections” known in the prior art.

FIG. 1 illustrates a structural connector 01 according to the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the structural connector 01 includes a machinedpipe plate 1, a machined bolt plate 2, a short length center pipe 3, aplurality of gusset plate fins 4, a machined pipe plate 5, bolts 6 withaccompanying washers 6-1, cover plates 7, and cover screws 8.

The machined pipe plate 1 is fabricated with an edge having a beveledportion, and a large, circular hole 2-1 passing through the center ofthe machined pipe plate 1. Each of the gusset plate fins 4 is welded toa bottom side of the machined pipe plate 1 and is evenly spaced around adiameter of the machined pipe plate 1.

The machined bolt plate 2 has a diameter of slightly less than themachined pipe plate 1 and is fabricated with the large, circular hole2-1 through the center and a plurality of threaded holes 2-2 evenlyspaced around and outside of the circular hole 2-1. The short lengthcenter pipe 3 extends through the center of the connector 01 between thecircular holes 2-1 of the machined pipe plate 1 and of the machined boltplate 2, thereby connecting the machined pipe plate 1 to the machinedbolt plate 2.

The machined pipe plate 5 is fabricated with an edge having a beveledportion, and a large, circular hole 2-1 as in the machined pipe plate 1,and is tapped with threaded holes 2-2 to accommodate the bolts 6 andaccompanying washers 6-1. The bolts 6 may be hexagonal-head bolts, forexample.

The cover plates 7 are fabricated of sheet metal, are generallysemi-circular in shape and are positioned around the diameter of thestructural connector 01 between the machined pipe plate 1 and themachined pipe plate 5. The cover plates 7 include a plurality ofthreaded holes 7-1 and are connected to each other by virtue of coverscrews 8 that extend through the plurality of threaded, chamfered holes7-1 and into a plurality of gusset plate fins 4 positioned between themachined pipe plate 1 and the machined bolt plate 2 connected to themachined pipe plate 5. Each of the gusset plate fins 4 includesthreaded, tapped holes of an identical size (about ¼ inch diameter) asthe threaded holes 7-1 of the cover plates 7 to accommodate the coverscrews 8, which may be flat-headed sheet metal screws, for example.

Each of the machined pipe plate 1, bolt plate 2, center pipe 3 andgusset plate fins 4 are welded together as illustrated in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 2 illustrates top and side views of the machined pipe plate 5 ofthe structural connector 01, according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the machined pipe plate 5 includes a large,circular hole 2-1 and a plurality of threaded holes 2-2 to accommodatethe plurality of bolts 6 and washers 6-1 under the heads of the bolts 6,as referenced in FIG. 1 . In this manner, first and second pipes 9 (seeFIG. 3 ) on either end of the structural connector 01 are securelyattached to opposite ends of the structural connector 01, to resistagainst tension, compression, shear, torsion, and moments in alldirections while enabling cables, pipes and other items to pass throughthe large, center hole 2-1 within the interior of the pipes, out of viewfrom the exterior of the connector.

FIG. 3 illustrates top and side views of a bolt plate of the structuralconnector, according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , two in-line pipes 9 (or tubes), shown in FIG. 5 ,are connected to each other by the structural connector 01.Specifically, one end of a first pipe 9 is welded, such as in a machineshop, to the machined pipe plate 1, and an end of a second pipe 9 iswelded, in the machine shop, to the machined pipe plate 5. Subsequently,the bolt plate 2 of the structural connector 01 is bolted to the pipeplate 5, on-site (i.e., in the field), to complete the connection. Thedistance between the pipe plate 1 and the bolt plate 2 is about 4inches, and the diameter of the pipe plate 1 and the bolt plate 2 isabout 10.75 inches.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the bolt plate 2 includes a plurality ofnon-threaded holes 2-3 into which the bolts 6 can be inserted, the holes2-3 being approximately 1/16^(th) of an inch larger in diameter than thediameter of the bolts 6. In this manner, the bolts 6 connect the boltplate 2 and the machined pipe plate 5 together, as the bolts 6 penetratethrough the bolt holes 2-3 into the tapped, threaded holes 2-2 of themachined pipe plate 5, as will be described in reference to FIG. 5 .

FIG. 4 illustrates a connection cover for the structural connector,according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a thickness and diameter generally contemplatedfor the connection cover (or cover plate) 7 are shown. That is, athickness of about ⅛^(th) of an inch and diameters of about 4.5 inchesto about 12.75 inches and a width of about 4-6 inches are generaldimensions for the connection cover 7.

FIG. 5 illustrates the structural connector positioned between in-linepipes, according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the machined pipe plate 1 of the structuralconnector 01 is welded to a first pipe 9 on one side, and is welded togusset plate fins 4 on the opposing side in the manner described inreference to FIG. 1 . Then, the bolt plate 2, to which is attached thecenter pipe 3 and gusset plate fins 4 are welded as also described inreference to FIG. 1 , is bolted to the machined pipe plate 5 that hasbeen welded onto a second pipe 9. These welds are typically made at amachine shop, for example, and the bolting together performed on-sitejoin the first and second pipes 9. For aesthetic purposes, the welds areground smooth in the shop and the cover plate is installed on-site,thereby hiding the connection from view.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , cover plates 7 are connected to each other bycover screws 8 that extend through the plurality of threaded holes 7-1on the cover plates 7 and into a plurality of gusset plate fins 4positioned between the machined pipe plate 1 and the machined bolt plate2 connected to the machined pipe plate 5.

FIG. 6 illustrates top, side and diagonal views of a machined extrudedaluminum piece for the structural connector, according to the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , four views of a single piece, machined extrudedaluminum configuration of the structural connector 10 are illustrated.As indicated in the bottom-right illustration, ends of a center hole10-1 through the connection are extended from the body of the structuralconnection. That is, in FIG. 6 , the bolt plate 2, cover tube 3 andgusset plate fins 4 are replaced with a single machined aluminum item10, which is bolted to the machined and threaded plates 5 on respectiveends using 4 bolts, in the manner of the bolting in FIG. 5 of the boltplate 2, cover tube 3 and gusset plate fins 4 to the machined andthreaded plate 5. This bolting is performed on two machined and threadedplates 5, i.e., on either side of the machined aluminum item 10 throughbolt holes 10-2, as will be described in detail in FIG. 7 . In turn, themachined and threaded plates 5 are welded to the ends of the first andsecond pipes 9, in the manner described above for the machined andthreaded plate 5 illustrated in FIG. 5 . Alignment dowels 10-3 protrudefrom the ends of both sides of the machined aluminum item 10, andtightly fit into corresponding center holes of the pipe end plate of themachined aluminum item 10.

FIG. 7 illustrates the structural connector positioned between in-linepipes, according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the machined aluminum item 10, described inreference to FIG. 6 , is bolted to two machined pipe plates 5 onopposite sides of the machined aluminum item 10 through bolt holes 10-2provided on the machined aluminum item 10. In turn, each of the machinedpipe plates 5 is respectively welded onto first and second pipes 9 inthe manner described in reference to FIG. 5 for a single connection tothe machined pipe plate 5. As further illustrated, the bolts 6 andwashers 6-1 are used to bolt the machined aluminum item 10 to themachined pipe plate 5 of each pipe 9.

FIG. 8 illustrates the structural connector positioned between in-linepipes, according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the bolt plate 2, center pipe 3 and gusset platefins 4 replace the machined aluminum item 10 in the second embodimentdescribed in reference to FIG. 7 . Accordingly, the bolt plate 2, centerpipe 3 and gusset plate fins 4, described in reference to FIG. 5 , arebolted to two machined pipe plates 5 on opposite sides of the connectionconfigured by the bolt plate 2, center pipe 3 and gusset plate fins 4.

FIG. 9 illustrates the structural connector positioned between in-linepipes, according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9 , the embodiment of FIG. 7 is modified such that aportion of one side of the machined aluminum item 10 is offset (i.e.,bent) by an angle of about 5 degrees. That is, the machined aluminumitem 10 is bolted to two machined pipe plates 5 on opposite sides of themachined aluminum item 10 through bolt holes 10-2 provided on themachined aluminum item 10, and each of the machined pipe plates 5 isrespectively welded onto first and second pipes 9, achieving thestructural connection. The bolts 6 and washers 6-1 are used to bolt themachined aluminum item 10 to the machined pipe plate 5 of each pipe 9.

As illustrated in FIG. 9 , the upper portion of the left side of themachined aluminum item 10 is offset by about 5 degrees, such that thefirst pipe 9 welded to the machined pipe plate 5 on the left side of themachined aluminum item 10 is off-line with respect to the second pipe 9on the right side of the machined aluminum item 10, by about 5 degrees.Such a configuration as in the embodiment of FIG. 9 illustrates how thestructural connector of the present invention may be modified tofacilitate connection of pipes or conduits that are not in a straightline, as needed. Other angle offsets for a portion of the machinedaluminum item 10 may also be utilized, as needed.

Each embodiment described above enables a secure attachment of the twopipes that resist tension, compression, shear, torsion, and moments inall directions while allowing items such as cables and pipes to passthrough the center hole within the interior of the connector, in amanner that is not visible from the exterior of the structuralconnection.

The connection dimensions stay within the outer dimensions of the pipesand can be covered to completely hide the connection from view foraesthetic purposes, such as by using the cover plates 7. These coverplates 7 are securely fastened to the connector 01 using flat head coverscrews 8, for example.

As to fabrication, a steel or aluminum fabrication shop may machine,drill and tap the various metal parts and then weld the plate andabove-discussed pipe items together. The present invention may be usedwith 4 bolts and 4 gussets rather than 6 bolts and 6 gussets asillustrated, or a differing number of such bolts and gussets may becontemplated in a manner that will securely fasten together thecomponents of the structural connection.

The structural connector of the present invention could be used in aconfiguration having electrical conduits or wires, or having water orsprinkler pipes running inside the structural pipe in an unseen manner.Thus, no unsightly exposed wires of conduits are visible, and the passthrough items are also protected from elements outside the structuralpipes. Different items may also pass through the structural connector,as needed.

As described above, the present invention eliminates the need for nutsby threading directly into the pipe end plate. The present inventionalso requires less material and fabrication time, due to a moresimplistic construction, eliminates the need for numerous large welds,and conveniently provides for a large center hole for cables and pipesto pass through the connection inside the pipes.

Embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the specification andthe drawings are only particular examples disclosed in order to easilydescribe the technical matters of the present invention and assist withcomprehension of the present invention, and do not limit the scope ofthe present invention. Therefore, in addition to the embodimentsdisclosed herein, the scope of the embodiments of the present inventionshould be construed to include all modifications or modified forms drawnbased on the technical aspects of the embodiments of the presentinvention.

While the present invention has been described with reference to variousembodiments, various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and the scope of the present invention, which is defined, not bythe detailed description and embodiments, but by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A single piece structural connector, comprising:a single machined aluminum piece having first and second circular ends,each of the first and second circular ends including a plurality of boltholes and a center hole; and an alignment dowel positioned on the centerhole, the alignment dowel being configured to fit into a center hole ofa pipe plate, wherein each of the first and second circular ends isconfigured to be bolted to first and second circular pipe plates onrespective ends of the single piece structural connector using aplurality of bolts of a number equal to a number of the plurality ofbolt holes, and wherein a first pipe portion is connected to a secondpipe portion when a beveled portion of the first circular pipe plate iswelded to the first pipe portion and a beveled portion of the secondcircular pipe plate is welded to the second pipe portion.
 2. The singlepiece structural connector of claim 1, wherein a portion of one side ofthe single machined aluminum piece is offset by a predetermined angle.3. The single piece structural connector of claim 2, wherein the offsetportion of the single machined aluminum piece causes the first pipeportion to be welded to the first pipe plate in a manner off-line withrespect to the second pipe portion.